Iraqi and U.S. officials disputed each others' accounts of an overnight raid and air strike on Friday that killed up to 20 people in a new sign of friction over allegations of American troops killing civilians. The U.S. military said ground forces with air support killed 20 suspected al Qaeda militants, including two women, in an area north of the capital where the Sunni Arab insurgency is strong. Police and officials in Ishaqi, 90 km (50 miles) north of Baghdad, said the bodies of 17 civilians, including six women and five children, were found in the rubble of two homes. "The Americans have done this before but they always deny it," Ishaqi Mayor Amer Alwan told Reuters by telephone. "I want the world to know what's happening here." Complaints that unjustified killings by U.S. troops are common have soured Iraqis' sentiment toward the U.S. presence in Iraq and prompted Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki earlier this year to say he was losing patience over such reports... http://news.yahoo.com

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora accused the pro-Syrian Hezbollah party of plotting a coup against him on Friday, escalating the war of words between the Western-backed government and opposition forces. Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah told thousands of supporters on Thursday that he would not yield in his battle to oust Siniora and said some government officials had tried to sabotage the guerrilla group in this year's war with Israel.Siniora hit back in a televised speech, rejecting the accusations and accusing the Shi'ite Hezbollah of trying to intimidate its opponents into submission."You are not our God and the party (Hezbollah) is not our God ... Who appointed you to say 'I am right and everything else is wrong?"' said Siniora, who is a Sunni Muslim....http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061208/ts_nm/lebanon_government_dc

Fighting broke out Friday in the southern Somali town taken by the Islamic militias that control much of the country, but the government denied claims that Ethiopian troops had led an attack. A top Islamic official said militiamen fought Ethiopian troops in the southern town of Dinsor, and he called on Somalis to defeat "the enemies who have invaded our land." If confirmed, it will be first direct fighting between the militias and Ethiopian troops. But a minister of the Somali government said the clashes were between his forces and the Islamic militia challenging the government for control of Somalia. He denied Ethiopians, who back his government, were involved. "New fighting has started in Dinsor. Our forces have been raided by Ethiopian troops, so people get up and fight against the Ethiopians," Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed told a crowd of hundreds after Friday prayers. Islamic militiamen seized Dinsor on Saturday without encountering resistance or firing a shot....http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2710818

The remains of what were tentatively identified as three human fetuses or infants were discovered in the freezer of a woman who was found dead in her home last month.A family member who was clearing out the apartment discovered the bodies bagged in a freezer Thursday, Detective Lt. Michelle Jones said.The age and cause of death will be determined in an autopsy expected to be done Saturday by state Medical Examiner Dr. Bruce Levy."The cold conditions do certain things to the flesh. It's kind of hard to comment on the age now," Jones said. "These were not like 9-pound babies. They were smaller in nature."Jones said 35-year-old Tracy Howard lived alone in the apartment. Her body was found there Nov. 28 after co-workers became concerned when she didn't show up for work....http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,235484,00.html

Bush has said he will work with all parties to find "a new way forward" in Iraq, after meeting congressional leaders in Washington. The discussions followed Wednesday's damning report on US strategy in Iraq. Mr Bush has said he takes its points seriously but will not follow them all. Nancy Pelosi, incoming House Democratic leader, said Mr Bush had admitted some new tactics might be needed. Mr Bush is due to meet senior advisers next week to discuss ideas on Iraq. He will consult US ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad, top-ranking state department and military officials and outside experts on Iraq, the White House said. The president is expected to make a major speech before 25 December to set out his view on the way forward in Iraq. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6162473.stm

EU President Finland said on Friday a Turkish offer to open one port to Cypriot ships did not go far enough and it expected the bloc to approve a partial freeze of accession talks with Ankara next week. "What Turkey has said is not enough...Turkey has not fulfilled its commitments," Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen told reporters of a requirement that Turkey extend a customs union with the EU to all members, including Cyprus.Vanhanen said he now expected EU countries to agree at a meeting of foreign ministers on Monday to suspend some areas of the entry talks as proposed by the European Commission."The Commission proposal I believe is quite near the compromise (acceptable to member states)," he said of the EU executive's proposal for slowing Turkish accession talks by suspending eight of 35 negotiation areas, or chapters....http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061208/ts_nm/eu_turkey_dc